The nerve center of Ganesh Chaturthi festival in Maharashtra is Pune, from where Bal Gangadhar Tilak started large scale public Ganesh festival in 1893. Pune region had the tradition of making ‘shaadu’ Ganesh idols. Shaddu Ganesh idols are natural clay idols and were painted with natural colors. People used to immerse these idols in their private tanks, wells and ponds.

In recent years, Shaddu Ganesh idols had to give way to glossy chemical painted Plaster of Paris Ganesh idols, which are notorious water polluters. Now, there is an attempt from several quarters in Pune to bring back natural clay idols.

eCoexist, a social enterprise in Pune, has prepared completely natural Ganesh idols and is available in select stores in the city. The raw grey idols are finished using a variety of natural clay such as multani mitti, geroo and natural dyes such as turmeric and beetroot.

The idols have been made by the famous sculptors of Pen in Raigad District.

According to eCoexist, the clay Ganesh idols are completely biodegradable and it can be immersed in a bucket of water at home.